Fixtures
- RB Leipzig Vs. Aston Villa – Tue, Dec 10th 2024, 21:00
Unai Emery was pleased with how Aston Villa stuck to their game plan and secured an important UEFA Champions League triumph against RB Leipzig.
The manager watched on as his team dominated for large parts in Germany, taking the lead twice through John McGinn and Jhon Durán goals.
Leipzig fought back to equalise in both halves before Ross Barkley came off the bench to score the winner with five minutes left.
“I’m very happy,” Emery said.
“The supporters were here with us and they were fantastic. They help us massively always in this competition and today as well, and we got those three points because we were feeling comfortable.
“We planned the match like we did and we are thankful for the supporters, thankful for every Aston Villa follower because we enjoy the Champions League with them.
“We have 13 points now and we have to be happy, but we have to keep balance. In this competition we are now in the top 24, maybe in the top 16, but we have the opportunity with winning today to play for the top eight positions.
“We will work for it.”
Victory moved Villa back up to third in the league phase table ahead of Wednesday’s matches, with their chances of qualifying for the last 16 boosted by a fourth win from six games.
Focus now turns back to the Premier League and a clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday as Emery and his team look to make it four wins on the spin.
He said: “Sometimes a spell of bad results is coming. Sometimes good results now with the three victories, two in the league and one today, can help us to feel confident and strong in our process.
“Today we are happy but now I’m thinking about Saturday against Nottingham Forest and trying to recover quickly the players that played today and to get the others ready.”
